An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c6.s7: 1.7 Felidae
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c6.s7
- Language
- English
1.7 Felidae
v1.c6.s7.1
The identification of the domestic cat (*Felis catus domesticus*) is extremely difficult on the basis of skeletal remains, its bones having been reported only from a few sites. The cat is one of the few animals that can easily revert to its feral state in the early stages of domestication. Changes in hair-length and colour, a general reduction in size, a broadening of the skull, corresponding to a shortening of the face and, occasionally, changes in dentition are some of the characteristic traits associated with the domestic breeds.
v1.c6.s7.2
At NEVASA, both in the Chalcolithic as well as historical levels, apart from *Felis catus domesticus*, two feral species, *Felis libyca* and *Felis bengalensis*, were also found. The latter, commonly called the leopard cat, is found throughout India, while the former, the desert cat, which presently occupies the region of the Great Indian Desert and the arid zone of c. India, is believed to be the ancestor of *Felis catus domesticus*, originally introduced into India from Egypt where it was first domesticated in *c.* 3000 B.C. A few cat bones from Harappa levels, *c.* 2000 B.C., have been identified as belonging to a domesticated variety (Prashad, 1936), but the evidence is unsubstantiated.